Thích Nhất Hạnh (1926-2022), the revered Vietnamese Zen Master, poet, and peace activist, is one of the most influential figures in modern Buddhism. He is renowned for bringing the practice of mindfulness into daily life and for founding the movement of Engaged Buddhism. Central to all his teachings and his life's work is the profound, yet beautifully simple, concept he coined: Interbeing.

What is Interbeing?

Interbeing is a translation and modern interpretation of core Buddhist principles, particularly dependent co-arising (pratītyasamutpāda), non-self (anatta), and emptiness (śūnyatā).

Thích Nhất Hạnh created the word "Interbeing" (a portmanteau of "inter-" and "being") to express the reality that nothing exists independently; everything co-exists and is interwoven with everything else. To be is to "inter-be."

Here are the key aspects of the concept:

• Interconnectedness and Mutual Dependence: The foundation of Interbeing is the understanding that all phenomena—whether physical or psychological—arise and exist only in dependence on countless other elements. Everything is full of "non-self" elements.
• The Analogy of the Paper: Thích Nhất Hanh famously used the example of a sheet of paper to illustrate Interbeing:"If you look deeply into a sheet of paper, you will see the cloud and the forest. The cloud is floating in the sky, but without the cloud, there would be no rain, and without the rain, the trees could not grow. The paper is made of non-paper elements. The logger who cut the tree, the wheat that became the logger's bread, the earth, the sun—all are present in this single sheet of paper." This analogy shows that the paper is empty of a separate, independent self, yet it is full of the entire cosmos.
• Non-Duality and Emptiness: The insight of Interbeing is directly tied to the Buddhist teaching of emptiness (śūnyatā). This doesn't mean nothingness. Thích Nhất Hạnh clarified that everything is "empty of a separate existence," but "full of everything else." This non-dual view sees the separation between "self" and "other," "body" and "mind," or "left" and "right" as an illusion.

Interbeing and Engaged Buddhism

For Thích Nhất Hạnh, the insight of Interbeing is not merely a philosophical idea; it is a practical guide for ethical living and compassionate action, which forms the basis of his Engaged Buddhism movement.

• The Order of Interbeing: In the mid-1960s, during the Vietnam War, he founded the Order of Interbeing (Tiep Hien), a community of monastics and lay practitioners dedicated to applying Buddhist ethics and principles to contemporary social and environmental challenges.
• Cultivating Compassion: When you truly see yourself as an interconnected part of all existence, the suffering of others is clearly seen as your own suffering, and their happiness is your own happiness. This insight naturally gives rise to boundless compassion (karuṇā).
• Social and Ecological Responsibility: Interbeing necessitates a sense of universal responsibility. Seeing that the well-being of humanity is inseparable from the health of the environment, it encourages practitioners to act mindfully and responsibly to protect life and prevent destruction. He often said, "We are the Earth," highlighting that we are made of non-human elements (animal, vegetable, mineral) and cannot exist without them.
• The Fourteen Mindfulness Trainings: The ethical guidelines for the Order of Interbeing—originally known as the Fourteen Precepts of Engaged Buddhism—are a direct application of Interbeing. They call practitioners to:
  • Be free from all ideologies and doctrines.
  • Not accumulate wealth while others suffer.
  • Practice mindful consumption.
  • Be aware of suffering and speak out against injustice.

The Practice of Interbeing in Daily Life

Interbeing is realized through the practice of mindfulness, which Thích Nhất Hạnh taught as the art of being fully present and aware of what is happening in the current moment, both inside and around us.

• Touching the Present Deeply: By practicing mindful breathing, walking, and eating, we develop the capacity to "look deeply" into things. When we touch the present moment deeply, we touch the past (our ancestors are within us) and the future (our actions now shape our continuation).
• Healing the Illusion of Separation: The illusion of a separate, permanent self (non-self) is the root of fear, greed, and the separation that leads to conflict. The practice of Interbeing dissolves this illusion, allowing us to realize our true nature, which is boundless and co-existent with all life.

In summary, Thích Nhất Hạnh's teaching on Interbeing is a powerful, accessible, and revolutionary call to realize our essential oneness with the cosmos. It transforms the practice of Buddhism from an individual pursuit of enlightenment into a deeply compassionate and collective endeavor for the healing of the world.